Sculpture of the goddess from the pediment of the temple of aphaia on the greek island of aegina. The partial color reconstruction of athena is based on a c 490 b c. Find out how shining a light on the statues can be all that 39 s required to see them as.
Original greek statues were brightly painted but after thousands of years those paints have worn away. Ancient greek sculptors valued animated and pulsating depictions as much as they valued perfection and realism and it has finally become fact that these artists utilized color in their creations. Once upon a time long before wars natural disasters and erosion took hold of the ancient greek statues these ivory gems vibrated with color.
Ancient sculptures were often painted with vibrant hair. Researchers demonstrate the process of applying color to the treu head from a roman sculpture of a goddess made in the second century a d. While the image of spotless marble adonises and aphrodites are prevalent in today s culture back then the situation was very different some appear as colorful as circus clowns.
Ancient greek and roman statues weren t originally white they were in glorious color. Most of them were dazzling with their colors which were essential for the impact the sculpture was. Ancient greek sculptors used colors and gold to beautify further their magnificent shapes.
Using various scientific methods they managed to prove that the statues that adorned the antique buildings were in fact everything but just clean white art. The german scientists vinzenz brinkmann and ulrike koch brinkmann had similar questions in their minds when in 1980 s started to research the colors of the ancient greek sculptures. Artists in classical cultures such as egypt mesopotamia greece and rome were known to paint with a variety of hues a practice known as polychromy from greek meaning many colors.
References to painted sculptures are found throughout classical literature including in euripides s helen in which the eponymous character laments if only i could shed my beauty and assume an uglier aspect the way you would wipe color off a statue. They only appear white today because the original pigments have deteriorated. Ancient greek sculptures were originally painted bright colors.
Seeing these classic statues recreated in vivid colors seems gaudy and almost obscene to us today because we expect ancient greek statuary to bear that dignified blank white look.
Ancient greek sculptures colors. Historically color has always been seen as a status symbol and our collective tastes have definitely changed over the centuries.
Historically color has always been seen as a status symbol and our collective tastes have definitely changed over the centuries.
